White supremacist Hardy Lloyd arrested for allegedly threatening witnesses, jury in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A self-proclaimed white supremacist was arrested again after federal prosecutors said he threatened the jury and witnesses in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial.
The Department of Justice said 45-year-old Hardy Lloyd of Follansbee, West Virginia, a self-proclaimed "reverend" of a white supremacy movement, made threatening social media posts, website comments and emails during the trial. He also put stickers in predominantly Jewish areas of Pittsburgh, directing people to the website with his threats and antisemitic messages, prosecutors said.
During the trial, Robert Bowers was sentenced to death for shooting and killing 11 worshipers at a Squirrel Hill synagogue in 2018. It was the deadliest antisemitic attack in the nation's history.
In the 34-page affidavit, investigators said Google reached out to the FBI in March about YouTube comments allegedly made by Lloyd where he advocates for killing Jewish people and pushes people to his website. In May, investigators said Lloyd started posting about the synagogue shooting trial and continued to post about it, and white supremacist stickers with his website address were discovered in Pittsburgh.
"This was targeted threats against the Pittsburgh community, the Jewish community and a call to action," said Shawn Brokos with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.
For the past two decades, Lloyd has spewed antisemitism hate and has been sentenced to prison three times. He returned to prison in 2019 for violating his probation, dropping neo-Nazi leaflets throughout the city's East End and posting a call for violence in the wake of the city's proposed assault weapons ban. He was later released, prompting a warning from the Jewish Federation Of Greater Pittsburgh.
Synagogue survivor Audrey Glickman is well familiar with Lloyd and praised the FBI for taking action.
"I'm glad. I hope it sticks this time," she said.
"Having all of these people who hate off the street and separated from society would be a good thing."
Floyd is now charged with obstruction of the due administration of justice, transmitting threats in interstate and foreign commerce and witness tampering, the Department of Justice said. He faces up to 10 years in prison for the obstruction charge, up to five years for the threats charge and up to 20 in prison for the tampering charge.
